gluten-free dairy-free tuna chickpea veggie pasta

 

I originally saw a recipe like this here, but it's one of those recipes where you use what you have and it turns out delicious anyway.

Here's how I did it.

You'll need:

• gluten-free pasta, cooked and drained
• grated carrots
• chopped onion
• minced garlic
• chopped zucchini (or whatever seasonal veggies are available; maybe cabbage in the winter)
• chopped red pepper
• salt and pepper
• oil
• lemon juice
• thyme, if you have it (haha)
• can or two of chickpeas, drained
• canned tuna, drained

Do this:

In a frying pan, saute the veg in oil, then add in the tuna and chickpeas. Mix with the spices and cooked pasta, and serve it up with love and laughter (I mean, you didn't even have to go to the grocery store). 

vegan nutella

 

This jar of deliciousness comes by way of a video recipe from Epic Mint Leaves.

Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, then dry them off.

Roast them at 220C for about 27-30 minutes.

Throw them in a blender with 6 pitted Medjool dates, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and 1 cup hot water.

Blend, eat a bit and jar the rest. Nestle it safely in le fridge. 

gluten-free dairy-free roasted carrot and chickpea salad with cashew-cream sauce

This recipe came by way of Bon Appetit, though I can't access the recipe anymore. I understand why paywalls are necessary sometimes for a business and also they are frustrating.

Anyway, I think I changed it enough to be my own. 

You'll need:

• lettuce
• cress
• carrots (2 or 3, sliced into matchsticks)
• 1 onion, sliced
• chickpeas (1 can, drained and rinsed)
• paprika
• olive oil
• turmeric
• garlic powder
• cumin
• salt and pepper
• dried parsley
• 1 cup cashews, soaked for a little while then drained
• 1/3 cup water
• salt
• pepper
• lemon juice to taste
• fresh garlic
• olive oil
• more dried parsley

Do this:

In a big bowl, mix carrots, onions, and chickpeas with paprika, olive oil, turmeric, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper, and dried parsley.

Roast on a pan at about 180 C for about 20-25 minutes, or until browned.

Blend the cashews, 1/3 cup water (more if the cream sauce is too thick), salt and pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh minced garlic. 

On the plates, arrange lettuce, then the roasted veg and bean mixture on top, and drizzle with cashew cream sauce. Toss some chopped cress on top for an extra peppery sharpness and beauty. 

gluten-free dairy-free rose tteokbokki

This is a wonderful Korean dish using mochi-mochi (soft and chewy) rice-flour tubes and gochujang (spicy chili paste) along with soy sauce, brown sugar, milk, cream, and cheese (I use all dairy-free ingredients). It's a great mix of spicy and creamy and sweet. Try it! 

I changed it just a bit to use what I could get here in Japan, but you definitely need the tteokbokki tubes and the gochujang, at least! 

Here's the recipe I based it off. 

(The photos above and below are the same dish, but the second time I made it, which is the above photo, I think I added more milk and didn't cook it off as long. Both times it was super tasty.)

You'll need:

• tteokbokki (rice tubes, like thick chewy pasta)
• 200 ml soy cream
• 200 ml soy milk
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/4 cabbage, chopped
• 1 bunch komatsuna greens, washed and chopped (or spinach or mustard greens)
• green onions, chopped
• fish cake (kamaboko), chopped
• age dofu (fried tofu) strips
• Canadian bacon, chopped (I use 4 slices)
• grated soy cheese
• 2 tablespoons gochujang paste
• 2 tablespoons raw brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce

Do this:

In a frying pan, cook the vegetables and Canadian bacon in oil till slightly soft but still with some al dente bite. 

Mix the gochujang, sugar, and soy sauce, and then stir into the pot. Add the milk and cream. 

Then toss in fried tofu strips and chopped fish paste. Stir everything well and then bring it to a simmer.

When it's simmering, add the tteokbokki and cook it all till the tubes are soft but not mushy. Stir in the dairy-free cheese and then in the bowls, sprinkle with green onions. 

Enjoy this stuff to the max! 

gluten-free dairy-free chocolate-ginger mug muffins

Another take on my mug muffins! So delicious.

You'll need (for one person):

• a microwave
• a cup/mug
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil plus more oiling
• 3 tablespoons almond flour
• pinch salt
• pinch baking powder
• 1 teaspoon chicory powder
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon honey
• sprinkle cinnamon
• splash of soy milk
• chopped dairy-free chocolate
• chopped crystallized ginger

Do this:

Oil your cup/mug. Crack an egg in and whisk with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients except the chopped chocolate and crystallized ginger. Whisk together till smooth, then toss in the chopped chocolate and crystallized ginger. 

Cover and microwave on 600 W for 1.5 minutes. 

Add another little splash of soy milk and dig in with a spoon.

 

funky gluten-free dairy-free bacon sweet-potato and white-potato summer salad

This was unexpectedly made and unexpectedly delicious! It was for an international potluck and because I'm an international woman this is what I conjured up with what I had on hand in my international home.

You'll need:

• frozen and then thawed cooked sweet potato slices, or fresh sweet potatoes, cut into chunks and cooked
• white potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks and boiled till tender
• 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper
• mayo 
• plain soy yogurt 
• parsley, fresh or dried
• regular mustard
• Dijon mustard
• paprika
• bacon slices, cooked, drained, and chopped
• green onions, sliced
• grated carrots
• frozen and shelled edamame, thawed 

Do this: 

Drain your cooked potatoes and mix with the apple cider vinegar and let it set for a few minutes.

Mix your dressing ingredients: mayo, soy yogurt, salt and pepper, two kinds of mustard, paprika, and parsley.

Stir it in with the potatoes, bacon, green onions, grated carrots, and edamame. 

Put it in the fridge to chill, and you take a little moment to chill yourself too. Have a big glass of ice water, put your feet up, and then head to a potluck. Don't forget to take the potato salad! 

gluten-free dairy-free zucchini cashew-cream and chickpea pasta

I found this idea on one of those 30-second Facebook videos that they throw at you, so I can't give a source. Basically I just got inspired and then made it my own Mamatouille way. 

You'll need:

• pasta of choice (I used brown rice swirly pasta)
• 1 cup cashews, soaked in just-boiled water for a few hours (can put in fridge if needed)
• 3 zucchini, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• olive oil
• salt 
• pepper
• about 1/2 - 1 cup soy milk
• 1 or 2 cans chickpeas, drained
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• dairy-free margarine
• about 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast powder

Do this:

Soak your chickpeas for a few hours and then drain. Roast in a 170 C oven for 25 minutes: zucchini, onion, garlic, olive oil, and salt.

In a blender, add the cashews, roasted veg, salt, pepper, margarine, 1 can drained chickpeas, soy milk, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Blend.

Cook your pasta in a big pot and drain, then mix the pasta, blended creamy veg mixture, and the other 1 can of drained chickpeas. 

I served ours with avocado and homegrown tomatoes from Kahoku-gata, and it was all more-ish. 

gluten-free and dairy-free chicken shawarma salad

 

It might look like a mess on a plate, but with spices like cumin and turmeric and cayenne pepper, this is absolutely more-ish. Comes by way of Our Salty Kitchen. 

This is basically a veggie-full salad topped with roasted spiced chicken and then drowned in tahini-lemon dressing. Here's my take on the recipe.

For the chicken, you'll need:

• chicken breasts, about 1.5 pounds
• a big Ziploc bag
• 1/2 cup oil (I use grapeseed)
• 2 juiced lemons or equivalent bottled lemon juice
• several minced garlic cloves or big shakes of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 t. cumin
• 2 t. paprika
• 1 t. turmeric
• sprinkles of cayenne pepper

Do this for the chicken:

Throw all of the above into the Ziploc bag and squish it around till coated, then fridge it for a few hours or overnight. After it's all succulent-ized, roast it in the oven with the juices at 425F/220C for 30 minutes, then let it cool. 

For the lemon-tahini dressing, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced, or equivalent bottled lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Do this for the dressing:

Blitz it with a hand blender and fridge till ready. Can do this ahead of time! 

For the salad, you'll need:

Whatever salad ingredients you like. Nice with lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, mint, parsley, grated carrots, radishes, watercress. 

Plate it up:

Salad first, then chopped up chicken, then douse in the fab dressing.

MORE-ISH, I tell ya. 

gluten-free dairy-free red-miso chickpea burgers (optionally vegan)

 

Another Mamatouille original! Something I made up and have perfected over a few tries. 

You'll need:

• 4 cans chickpeas (450 g each), drained
• 7-8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 tablespoon red miso paste
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley or a few tablespoons fresh
• black pepper to taste
• optional: 1 egg

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons plain soy yogurt
• 1 tablespoon red miso
• 1 teaspoon black vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Do this:

For the burgers, throw all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz. I leave it a little bit chunky, not totally blended into a smooth paste. I like a little bit of texture. 

Shape them into patties and fry in a little bit of oil on both sides till browned. Leave them awhile on each side to get browned and so they won't fall apart. 

For the sauce, blend all the ingredients with a hand blender. 

I served it all with rice, homemade furikake (rice topping), vinegary coleslaw, and tomatoes sprinkled with Noto salt. 

Itadakimasu! 

gluten-free and dairy-free homemade peanut-butter cups

 

This is such an easy, fun, delicious recipe and I honestly don't even know where I got it---Facebook was just showing me random cooking videos and I clicked on one that captured my fancy. 

I think these puppies will capture your taste buds' fancy too.

You'll need:

• peanut butter (I used homemade salted and unsweetened
• honey (because I use unsweetened peanut butter)
• soy yogurt (or your favorite plain yogurt)
• chocolate bar (I used dairy-free)

Do this: 

In a bowl, mash your peanut butter, honey, and soy yogurt together. You want it to be a stiff mixture and not too liquidy.

Form that on to food-grade popsicle sticks, and freeze on baking paper in the freezer.

Once that's frozen solid, dip into melted chocolate. I just whack a chocolate bar (broken into bits) in a glass measuring cup in the microwave in 20-second increments till it's nice and smooth.

Put into the fridge to set and then chow down! 

gluten-free dairy-free banana-cranberry muffins

I got this recipe from Mama Knows Gluten Free, but of course, as per usual Mamatouille style, I changed it for our tastes and what I have available. They were so moist and filling! 

You'll need:

• 4 small bananas or 3 bigger ones, mashed
• 2 beaten eggs
• big dashes of cinnamon
• big dashes of powdered ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup gluten-free baking mix
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• about 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Do this:

Mix mix mix and bake bake bake at 350/170 for about 15 minutes.

Eat eat eat.

gluten-free and dairy-free spicy chocolate mug muffin

I've been making mug muffins for years and decided to spice it up a little! 

You'll need:

• 1 tablespoon oil, plus more for greasing the mug
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon chicory powder
• generous sprinkle of cayenne pepper
• generous sprinkle of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• pinch of baking powder
• 3 tablespoons almond flour
• dash of vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon honey

Do this:

Grease a big mug. (Not your face mug.) Crack an egg in there and beat it with a fork, then add everything else and beat that too. Cover and cook at 600 watts for 1.5 minutes in your microwave, then splash on some soy milk and homemade chocolate sauce (or you can break up some dairy-free chocolate into the muffin before cooking). 

Spicy chocolate? Oh my! 

middle-eastern style fusion renkon (lotus root)

 

Normally I make very traditional Japanese renkon (lotus root) with soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil, but I was making some eggplant fritters with some warm Middle Eastern spices and decided to experiment on a lotus-root side dish to match it. I absolutely loved it! 

You'll need:

• one fresh chunk of lotus root
• tomato paste
• olive oil
• powdered cumin
• powdered coriander
• cayenne pepper
• paprika 
• salt

Do this:

Wash, peel, slice, and soak your lotus root slices in water for a little while. You can do this earlier in the day and put it in the fridge in the water. Then drain.

In a frying pan, saute the slices in olive oil, then add some squirts of tomato paste and all the seasonings. Stir and cook till a little bit bubbly, and serve with your favorite Middle Eastern main dish. 

gluten-free and dairy-free rice-flour pancakes with a carrot-cake pancakes variation and a turmeric variation

I'll start with the basic rice-flour pancake recipe that I nabbed (and slightly changed) from Laura Fuentes, then show you two variations that we love and that I made up myself! 

Rice-Flour Pancakes 

You'll need:

• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cups soy milk (or milk of choice)
• 3 tablespoons katakuriko (Japanese potato starch) or cornstarch

Do this:

Mix it all up in a bowl dance party, then cook in oil on a griddle. Yum yum. I like mine with honey or peanut butter. 

Carrot-Cake Rice-Flour Pancakes

You'll need:

• the above ingredients
• two grated carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Warm and Spicy Carrot-Apple Turmeric Pancakes

You'll need:

• the basic rice-flour pancake ingredients
• one grated carrot
• two peeled and finely chopped apples
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• dash of nutmeg

If you can't finish these in one sitting with your family, they freeze well between baking paper and sealed in a freezer bag. These recipes work for 4 of us, and anything leftover I eat during the week when my guys have oatmeal. 

Bon pancake appetit! 

elana's pantry's (sort of) paleo fruitcake

This is a cake from Elana's Pantry that I try to make every Christmas, and I use two small glass loaf pans that I grease first. Two of these tiny cakes don't seem like much, but they are dense. I tend to use whatever dried fruit I can find here in Japan. (It's not totally Paleo because I don't use the coconut ingredients that she calls for.)

You'll need: 

• 1.5 cups almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup dates, with pits removed and then chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (I usually use dried cranberries instead)
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (or soak the fruit in orange curacao instead)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Do this:

Combine your dry ingredients, then add in the fruit and walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients, and then stir them into the dry ones.

Into your greased mini loaf pans they go.

Bake 350/170 for 20-30 minutes, and try not to eat it up all at once.